Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-08-27
The Investigators Investigated.

nj
1t is possible to hoist the engineer with
his own petard. What is sauce for the
goose is equally sauce for the gander. 1t is
bad rule that does not work both WAYS.
These are mere aphorisms, but they have a
peculiar applicability to what has occurred
this week during the proceedings of the
Commission engaged in inquiring into the
probable capacity of the Central Pacific to
pay its liabilities to the Government when
they fall due. The Commission went out
side of its functions, which are to inquire
into the possibilities of the future, and de-
voted itself mainly to the fruitless task of
endeayoring to find out if there had been
any mistakes in the past, irremediable
though they now may be- In pursuing
this line of improbable investigation, they
were palpably aided by letters and docu-
ments emanating from sources that were
using the Commissioners to pull their
chestnuts out of the fire. Without those
documents constantly before their ewes, the
Commissioners were at sea. Acting out
side their rights and the true scope of the
inquiry intrusted to them, but in the spirit
of the private and sinister hints received,
they endeavOred to go into old outside mat.
tiers, that could only be productive of endless
explanations by third parties, who might
consider themselves, and who doubtless
would be considered by the public, to be
under the obligation of explaining. To
this sort of thing there would have been no
end. Had the sluice gates once been
opened, the torrents of doubt, apprehension
and Misrepresentation that would have
followed would have demanded explana-
tory space in our dailies for many months
to come. Every transaction the railroad
ever had with citizen of the State would
have had to be cleared up. Governor STAN
ford CONSIDERABLY and wisely refused to go
into so far-fetched matters He forcibly
pointed out how absolutely foreign they
were to the purposes for which the Com
mission had been appointed, and to what
an interminable series Of explanations they
must lead if justice were done to the parties
VINO might happened to be named. The
Commissioners, who subsequently proved
to be in great hurry to get away, were at
this point in no such great haste that thew
could not afford the time to bring out every
railroad transaction, and to do justice to
everybody connected with it, and they
applied to the United State Circuit Court to
compel Governor Stanford to answer.
But right here comes in the virtue of the
aphorisms we have quoted. 1t was thought
that what was sauce for the goose ought to
prove equally good for the male bird. The
rule which the Commissioners sought to
apply to the railroad Creed Raymond,
with admirable dexterity, turned upon the
Commissioners. He wanted to know what
the documents were they were reading
from, who their authors were and what the
charges were the railroad was expected to
meet. As public officers the Commission
ers could receive no official communica-
tons that were not public property. If
the personal transactions of private cor
poration could be properly demanded. how
much more rightfuliy could the official cor
respondence of public body, not sworn to
secrecy and not clothed with inquisitoriaI
functions, be asked for? Creed Haymond
coolly persisted in his interrogatory, and
the hitherto imperturbable Commissioners
sno"eu marked Signs OF uneaSJneSS and
distress. Pattison was so nonpiussed that
he at first demanded that the question
should be submitted in writing, and this.
although no such demand had been made
during the whole course of the inquiry and
although the official stenographers had
already reduced the matter to writing.
Then he changed base, lost his temper, and
both he and Commissioner Anderson did
worse-they failed to tell the truth. They
said that all letters and documents re-
ceIved by the Commission were in the
hands of the Secretary, and would be
finally printed with the report of the pro-
ceedings. 1t turned out that the letters
asked for were not in the possession of that
ssaicer, and the Commissioners then argued
that they could no more be printed thaa
secrets of a Grand Jury. 1t was an IN
pleasant position. The engineer was hoist
with his own petard. The Commissioners
who only shortly before had time to re-
main here and inquire into every separate
transaction of the Central Pacific now
found they must needs leave for New
York to-day, and it is presumed they will
leave accordingly, in which case there will
be much difference between their arrival
and departure. They came in ike lions.
and have sneaked away like mice. They
will do well to remember the aphor;sus
We have quoted as long as they live,